Janet Daley was born in America where she began her political life on the Left as an undergraduate at Berkeley. She moved to Britain (and to the Right) in 1965 where she spent nearly twenty years in academic life before becoming a political commentator: all factors that inform her writing on British and American policy and politicians.

Joe the Plumber was the real star of the third debate

The only man who might change anybody's mind on who to vote for in this presidential race is Joe Wurzelbacher. He was the star of last night's final debate: the only one who managed to bring something genuinely new to an otherwise pretty predictable to-and-fro from Barack Obama and John McCain. Joe the Plumber as he has come to be known is the man who wants to buy the small business in which he works, and to expand it so that he can employ more staff (which is to say "create more American jobs" in political speak). A few days ago, in what has now become a legendary confrontation, he accused Obama of planning to raise his taxes, thus making it very much more difficult for him to do his bit to expand the economy. In the course of that exchange, Obama made the revelatory comment that he believed that "spreading the wealth around" would help everyone. And there it was: the crucial distinction between those (Democrats) who believe that the wealth created by individuals should be compulsorily redistributed, even if that means limiting the possibilities of creating more of it, and those (Republicans) who feel that it would be better left to the small businesses which will use it to grow and proffer more employment.

If that distinction were to permeate the consciousness of the US electorate with real force and clarity, McCain would win the election. Whether it did or not, on the basis of this debate, is an open question. Once again, Barack Obama seemed fluent but (at least to those of a sceptical nature) shallow, while McCain was often faltering and repetitive but basically sound. McCain referred ironically to Obama's "eloquence" by which he meant glibness and verbal trickery. But Obama defended himself with calm competence against the accusations of consorting with domestic terrorists and election fraudsters. There was no startling moment or dramatic alteration in the perceptions of either man, which means that, for all and intents and purposes, Obama was the winner. Very few minds would have been changed by John McCain last night. It remains to be seen how many have been changed by Joe the Plumber.